


Sherlock Holmes: A Hero for People Who Feel Different

by astronbookfilms (galaxyture)



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV)
Genre: Gen, Meta, Nonfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 07:52:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12054579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxyture/pseuds/astronbookfilms
Summary: One of the appeals of Sherlock Holmes is he serves a a hero for people who feel that they are different.





	Sherlock Holmes: A Hero for People Who Feel Different

When I was a teenager a friend of mine commented on how many science-fiction and fantasy fans were Sherlock Holmes fans. 

“Of course,” I replied. “The scientific reasoning and logic.”

“No. He is a hero for people who are different,” She corrected me.

My friend was right. He is a hero for those who are different. The usual theme of modern science-fiction, fantasy, and superhero stories is that what makes the hero different is what makes him/her/their/other pronoun special. It is the very thing that others mock, that makes them feel like they do not fit in with “the cool people” and society that is at the center of their heroism. Arthur Conan Doyle' canon Sherlock Holmes predates these stories and may well have consciously or unconsciously influenced some of them.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle referred to Sherlock Holmes as bohemian and it is clear that he is in many ways apart from the rest of society. He is unique. He is admired, but not always liked. This tendency has continued in the various adaptations. 

Not only is Sherlock Holmes different, but many of his clients are people who are outsiders or otherwise lacking in power. Sherlock Holmes is the detective you go to when you feel that things are hopeless and you have no other choice. Sherlock Holmes’ clients are frequently women who might well be dismissed by the police. They are people who feel they are in a hopeless situation (The Boscombe Valley Mystery, etc). Holmes’ sympathies clearly lie with those who are different. 

Sherlock Holmes is not afraid to confront, agitate, and fight the powerful. His sense of justice outweighs social concerns and the letter of the law (and Victorian England had its share of unjust laws). In the Granada Holmes series Jeremy Brett particularly identified with Holmes’ lack of respect for the British class system and that element of the stories is often enhanced in the series. 

Jeremy Brett did a brilliant job at showing us a Sherlock Holmes who was different and wanted to be driven by scientific reasoning and logic, but was still a human being. He nearly called out to Watson in “The Final Problem” and had tears in his eyes when Lestrade complimented him in “The Six Napoleons”.

Most of us have moments when we do not feel like we fit into mainstream society. In some cases it is our culture at home (and/or in our neighborhood) that is different than the larger culture. Sometimes it is that we are not straight and/or cis. Sometimes it is that we are on the autism spectrum. Sometimes it is that we are smarter than a lot of people. Sometimes it is that we have a learning disability. Sometimes it is that we have a physical condition that limits us. Sometimes it is that we have a mental health condition. Maybe we are shy and new to the area.  
Sherlock Holmes stories are detective stories. They deal with thefts, murders, blackmail, revenge, abuse, and other examples of the dark side of humanity. At the same time they have a glimmer of hope. Sherlock Holmes is different and it is those differences that are a large part of why people continue to see him as a hero over 100 years after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote A Study in Scarlet. It is a reminder that even someone who different, unusually smart, driven by justice, and not always apt at the social niceties could have a supportive friend (or more than friend depending on your interpretation) like  Dr. John Watson. There is also the hope that comes from knowing that if you were in Sherlock Holmes’ world and needed help he would be willing to help you regardless of what demographic boxes you check.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my Tumblr.
> 
> Jeremy Brett's identification with Holmes' lack of respect for the British class system comes from multiple sources, but the best one is the book Bending the Willow. The same is true for Brett having Holmes start to call out to Watson.


End file.
